HOOK FOR USE IN A GARMENT HANGER

Abstract

A hook for use in a hanger is disclosed. The hook has a suspension portion for suspending it, and the hanger, from a rail. There is also an insert portion which is inserted into the body of a hanger. The insert portion has retainers, such as barbs, for fixing the insert into the hanger body. The suspension portion and insert portion have respective connectors which engage one another to connect these two components together whilst allowing the suspension portion to rotate relative to the insert portion and the hanger body, preferably with a known torque resistance.

Description

The present invention relates to a hook for use in a hangar and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to a hook used as part of a wooden hanger.

The use of metal hooks formed as part of a garment hanger which has a wooden or plastic body portion (that is the part of the hanger which supports and contacts the garment) is commonplace. Where the hanger body is formed from a wooden material a metal hook can be attached by gluing but more commonly is retained by the straight portion of the hook, which extends into the hanger body, having an end portion which is wider in cross-section than the wire forming the remainder of the hook. This wider portion is received in a recess which is also wider than the apertures into which the rest of the hook is received thereby ensuring that the wider portion cannot be pulled from the hanger body without using excessive force. The wider portion of the recess is created as wooden bodied hangers are formed in two halves which are joined together with the centre line of the two halves coinciding with the straight portion of the hook.

This method of construction generally requires the hanger to be fully formed in a factory. The resultant hangers must then be transported, fully formed, to the retailers or customers who require them. The shape of hangers, and particularly wooden hangers, does not lend itself to easy packing of large numbers of hangers together for transportation. As a result, significant volumes of air remain in the packaged products making the cost of transportation significantly higher than is desirable. Furthermore, the hooks are vulnerable to damage from impact forces and therefore must be carefully packaged in order to ensure the safe arrival of the hangers to their final destination.

Although wooden hangers are used in some retail environments, they are more commonly used in the home. However, plastic hangers are often designed specifically for use by retailers and it is increasingly commonplace for garments to be shipped from their manufacturing source to the retailer already mounted or hung on a garment hanger. Where this so-called “ship-on hanger” method of transportation is used it is also increasingly common that garments are moved around factories attached to the hanger. It is a requirement of hangers used on these machines that the hook is not able to freely rotate relative to the hanger body in order to ensure that the garment and hanger do not start spinning whilst loaded on such conveyor apparatus. Specifically, the hook must not rotate until a particular torque has been applied to the hook. However, it is undesirable to form a hanger in which the book is completely fixed since there are occasions when it is useful to be able to rotate the hook through 90°. An example of an invention which controls the rotation of the hook is disclosed in our earlier application published under the number GB2449202.

The technique disclosed in this application, in common with most other hook retention techniques, ensures the torque required to rotate the hook is set at a predetermined level but this only applies until rotation of the hook has occurred. The stiction, between the metal hook and the thermoplastic into which it is inserted which ensures high torque is required to turn the hook from its initial position, is lost once rotation has occurred. As a result, when a hook has been rotated once, the torque required to make further rotations is significantly reduced. A further consequence of this is that if a hook has been rotated on a hanger it may very well be unsuitable for reuse in automated ship-on hanger machines. This adds complexity to the hanger recycling process as the hook of each hanger must be tested before we it can be sent for reuse. Hangers which do not pass the torque test, although appearing to be acceptable for reuse, must be scrapped, that is chipped and the thermoplastic recycled into new products.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome or alleviate the above described disadvantages of the prior art.

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a hook for use in a hanger, the hook comprising:

• a suspension portion for suspending the hook from a rail or the like, the suspension portion including a first connector; and
• an insert portion for engaging a body of a hanger and having at least one retainer for fixing the insert to the hanger body, the insert portion comprising a second connector to engage said first connector and ensure connection between said suspension portion and said insert portion.

Providing a hook in two parts, specifically an insert portion and a suspension portion provides significant advantages over the prior art. Where the hanger body is formed from wood and the ultimate customer for the product is a member of the public, the hanger and hook can be supplied separately. In particular, the hook can be provided with the suspension portion and insert portion supplied as separated components. This allows the consumer upon receiving the hanger to construct it for themselves. Firstly, the insert portion is forced into a small aperture formed in the hanger body and then the suspension portion is fitted into the insert portion. As a result, a pack of hangers can be sold with hanger bodies and hooks supplied separately. This has significant advantages when it comes to the packaging of the products since hanger bodies are able to easily fit to each other filling the majority of their packaging container. Furthermore, the hooks are not vulnerable to damage in the same way when they are not supplied fully formed. Therefore, the protective packaging required around the hanger can be eliminated offering further savings in the cost of delivery of the hanger products. It is also the case that because the hanger body no longer needs to be formed in two halves around the hook, the manufacturing techniques used to produce the wooden hanger bodies are much more flexible. For example, hangers can be produced as a single piece. Alternatively, the central portion of the hanger, known as the label area, can be produced in very large numbers with alternative arms being potentially added to provide different types of hanger. Furthermore, other materials, such as MDF, which are not commonly used in hangers are more easily used.

Although this home assembly technique can also be used for plastic hanger an alternative scenario utilising the present invention using thermoplastic hangers is also advantageous. In this example, the hook is introduced to the hanger body as part of the manufacturing process. The suspension portion and insert portions are connected together and the insert portion heated, in line with current techniques for hook insertion. When the required temperature has been reached the hook, particularly the insert portion, is introduced to the hanger body partially melting the thermoplastic immediately adjacent to it and causing that thermoplastic to form around the retainers thereby ensuring that the suspension portion remains embedded in the hanger body. Because both the insert portion and the suspension portion can be formed from metallic materials the accuracy of manufacture of these components, in particular in the region where they engage one another at the first and second connectors, can be machined with significant precision. As a result, the torque required to turn the suspension portion relative to the insert portion can be carefully controlled and will not significantly alter through use due to robustness of the metal on metal junction. As a result, plastic hangers utilising the hook of the present invention can be used on ship-on hanger conveyor apparatus repeatedly even when the hook has been rotated. The torque required to rotate the hook relative to the hanger body can be much more precisely controlled and maintained than in the hangers of the prior art.

In a preferred embodiment the first and second connectors have rotational symmetry.

By the first and second connectors having rotational symmetry the complete 360° rotation of the suspension portion relative to the insert portion, and therefore as it appears to the user of the hanger the hook relative to the hanger body, is possible.

In another preferred embodiment the suspension portion and said insert portion comprises metal.

By forming the suspension portion and insert portions from metal provides the strength required to allow the insert portion to be forced into a small aperture in the wooden hanger. In a plastic hanger it also provides the best control for the rotational torque required to turn the suspension portion relative to the hanger body and this remains consistent through many rotations of the components.

The retainer may comprise at least one barb.

Using one or more barbs ensures that an insert portion forced into a wooden hanger cannot easily be removed.

The retainer may also or alternatively comprise at least one rib.

By using one or more ribs ensures that an insert portion inserted, when heated, into a plastic hanger body cannot be removed once the thermoplastic has hardened around the ribs.

In a preferred embodiment the first and second connectors comprise a snap fit connection.

In another preferred embodiment the first connector comprises an at least partially conical end to said suspension portion said conical end having an outer edge; and

• said second connector comprises an annular ridge extending radially inward of an inner surface of said insert portion wherein said annular ridge and said outer edge of said conical portion engage one another to retain said suspension portion and insert portion in engagement with one another.

By using a snap fit connection between the first and second connectors and specifically a comical end to the first connector with an annular ridge as the second connector ensures that when the suspension portion and insert portions are formed separately they can easily be joined together, either during manufacture or by a customer undertaking home assembly, to ensure a one-time joining together of these components which can then not be easily separated.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a garment hanger comprising;

• a hanger body for bearing a garment thereon; and
• a hook as set out above.

In a preferred embodiment the hanger body comprises wood.

In another preferred embodiment the hanger body comprises at least one thermoplastic material.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of forming the garment hanger as set out above, comprising the steps:

• inserting the insert portion into an aperture in said body; and
• inserting the suspension portion into said insert portion such that said first and second connectors engage one another thereby retaining said suspension portion in said insert portion.

According to a still further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of forming the garment hanger as set out above, comprising the steps, with said suspension portion and said insert portions engaged at said first and second connectors, inserting said hook into said hanger body.

The method may further comprise, prior to said inserting step, heating at least said insert portion.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a hook of a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view, along the line A-A;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a component of the hook of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a series of images demonstrating the construction of a garment hanger using the hook of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front view, including a partial sectional view, of a hook of a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view in close-up of an end of the hook of FIG. 5, shown in perspective;

FIG. 7 is a side view of an end portion of the hook of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a close-up view of an end of a component of the hook of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view of a component of the hook of FIG. 5.

Referring to the figures, a first embodiment of the present invention is disclosed with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. A hook 10 for use in a hanger 12 is formed in two parts namely a suspension portion 14 and an insert portion in the form of insert 16. The suspension portion 16, when in use, engages a rail, a hook or the like and is therefore the part of the hanger 12 from which it is suspended. The suspension portion 14 is formed by shaping a piece of wire so as to have a first end 18, a curved portion 20 which extends into a linear portion 24 and ends with a second end 24. The shape of the first end, curved portion and linear portions can be any of those which are familiar to persons skilled in the art. For example, the first end 18 can be the short linear portion shown in FIG. 1, could be a substantially spherical or could be simply a cut end of the wire from which the suspension portion 14 is formed.

The second end 24 of suspension portion 14 has a first connector 26 which is used to connect the suspension portion to the insert 16. The first connector 24 has a conical portion or end 28 which can either be fully conical, or as shown in FIG. 2 is a truncated cone. Working backwards from the cone 28 there is a waisted portion 30 which has a cross-section with a diameter which is less than the diameter of a cross-section taken in the linear portion 22 or at the widest port part of the conical end 28. As a result, an annular ridge 32 extends around the first connector 26 at the junction between the conical end 28 and the waisted portion 30.

With particular reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the insert 16 will now be described. In FIG. 3 internal features of the insert 16 are shown in dashed lines. The purpose of the insert 16 is to be received into the body 34 of hanger 12. The insert 16 is substantially cylindrical in shape. In order to maintain the engagement of the insert 16 in the recess aperture 36 in hanger body 34, some form of retention means is required. In the embodiment shown, this retention means is in the form of retainer barbs 38 which extend outside the external volume of the cylinder that forms the majority of insert 16. These barbs are formed by forming two connected linear cuts arranged at an acute angle and bending the triangle so formed outwards. As a result, as the insert 16 is pushed into recess apertures 36, the barbs 38 allow movement of the insert 16 in direction D1 but resist its movement, once inserted, in direction D2.

The insert 16 also has a connector, in the form of second connector 40 which is provided to engage the first connector 26 and ensure the connection between the suspension portion and the insert. The second connector 40 is a further deformation of the basic cylinder shape of the insert 16 and is particularly a deformation of the internal surface 42. At a lower end of the second connector 40 and annular ridge 44 is formed where the inner surface 42 is pressed inwards reducing the internal diameter of the cylindrical internal surface 42. Most preferably this annular ridge runs perpendicular to the internal surface 42 of the remainder of the insert 16. At the upper end of second connector 40 the transition from the larger diameter of the internal surface to the smaller diameter, which creates the annular ridge 44, is a sloped surface 46. Between the sloped surface 46 and the annular ridge 44 is an annular wall 48 which is parallel and coaxial with the internal surface 42 but has a smaller diameter. The insert 16 is formed from a strip of steel using cold forming dies in a high-speed press to create the barbs and internal features and to roll the strip into the cylindrical form previously described. Once formed the insert 16 is heat-treated to harden it and electro-zinc plated.

The suspension portion 14 is formed using standard wire forming techniques familiar to persons skilled in the art of hanger hook formation. In particular, the second end 24 is formed using rolling dies in a cold forging method to create the conical end 28, waisted portion 30 and annular ridge 32. Most preferably this technique allows for the base of the conical end 28, where it joins the ridge 32, to have a diameter slightly greater that the diameter of the wire from which it is formed and greater that the unshaped linear portion 22. This allows contact between the suspension portion 14 and the insert 16 which in part controls the torque required to rotate one relative to the other.

Operation of the hook 10 will now be described in particular as the formation of the hanger 12. This embodiment is particularly useful for construction of hangers by customers at home. Typically, a customer will buy a pack of hanger bodies 34 which are supplied with hooks 10 that is, with the suspension portions 14 and insert 16 supplied separately (see FIG. 4A). Firstly, the insert 16 is pushed into the recess apertures 36 (see FIG. 4B). In order to ensure a good fit maintaining the insert in engagement with the hanger body 34 it may be necessary to force the insert 16 into the aperture 36 using a hammer or some other suitable tool. As the insert 16 enters the aperture 36 the barbs 38 will bend slightly inwards. Once the insert 16 is inserted into the hanger body 34, the suspension portion 14 can now be introduced into the insert. The suspension portion 14 is moved in direction D1 so that the conical end 28 of first and 24 extends into the insert and engages the sloped surface 46. The sloping surface of the conical end 28 is able to push the sloped surface 46 radially outward allowing the conical end 28 to pass over the annular wall 48 and beyond the annular ridge 44.

The first and second connectors 26 and 40 are now engaged and that connection substantially prevents movement of the suspension portion 14 in directions D1 and D2 as follows. The upper end of the waisted portion 30, where it expands back to the full width of the linear portion 22, prevents the suspension portion 14 being pressed any further in direction D1 into the insert 16. Movement of the suspension portion 16 in direction D2 is prevented by the engagement of the first and second connectors 26 and 40 and more specifically the annular ridges 32 and 44. This snap-fit type connection prevents the suspension portion 14 being pulled from the insert 16 except under extreme force which may also be sufficient to drag the insert from the recess aperture 36. Such movement of the insert 16, in direction D2, is resisted by the barbs 38 which, in the event that a force is applied to the insert in direction D2, tend to dig into the walls of the recess apertures 36. The more force that is applied in direction D2, the more the barbs 38 dig into the walls of the recess apertures 36 but may be eventually overcome by damaging the material forming the walls.

A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9 in which features which are in common with the first embodiment have been given like reference numerals increased by 100.

The hook 112 is formed including a suspension portion 114 and an insert 160. Though formed separately these components are designed to be brought together during the manufacturing process and added to a hanger body (not shown in FIGS. 5 to 9) together as part of that manufacturing process. The first connector 126, formed at the second end 124 of the suspension portion 114 has a conical form but is divided into a first conical portion 150 and a second conical portion 152. Between the two conical portions is a first waisted portion 154 and between the second conical portion 152 and the linear portion and hundred and 22 is a second waisted portion 156.

The insert 116 is provided with, on its external surface, retainers in the form of ribs 138. These ribs resist movement of the insert 116 when it is engaged in a hanger body, particularly where the insert has been embedded into a thermoplastic hanger body. The insert 116 is provided with a recess 158 which receives the end portion 124 of the suspension portion 114. The recess 158 is substantially conical in its shape but has two internally extending ribs 158 and 160. The first of these ribs 158 is formed part of the way into the recess 158 with the second rib 162 being formed at the entrance to the recess. As can be seen in FIG. 6, when the insert 116 is engaged with the suspension portion 114 the first and second ribs 160 and 162 are aligned with, and extend into, the first and second waisted portions 154 and 156 respectively. As a result, the suspension portion 114 and insert 116 are provided with a snap fit connection which resists the removal of the second end 124 of the suspension portion 114 from the recess 158 of the insert 116.

Of particular importance to this embodiment, although also of potential interest in the previous embodiment, is the manufacturing tolerance which results on the metal on metal engagement between the suspension portion 114 and insert 116. It is this metal on metal junction between these components which creates the friction which resists the rotation of the suspension portion within the insert and thereby controls the torque required to rotate the suspension portion relative to the hanger body when the hanger is fully assembled.

The process of construction of a hanger using the hook 110 is as follows. After separate manufacture the suspension portion 114 and insert 116 are brought together so that the first and second connectors 126 and 140 are engaged with one another so that the first and second ribs 160 and 162 are located within the waisted portions 154 and 156. Once the hook 110 is formed in this manner the end of the hook furthest away from the first end 118 of the suspension portion 114 is heated. This involves the heating of the insert 116 but will also result in the partial heating of the suspension portion 114. Once the insert 116 has reached the required temperature the hook 110 is inserted into the hanger body which results in the partial melting of the thermoplastic around the insert. Once the hook 110 is inserted into the body portion the thermoplastic sets and is formed around the ribs 138 thereby fixing the insert 116 into the hanger body. When the suspension portion 112 is rotated relative to the hanger body it is rotating within the insert 116 and, as a result, the torque required to rotate the suspension portion is controlled by the interface between the first connector 126 and the second connector 140.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the protection which is defined by the appended claims. For example, the barbs 38 can be replaced with other suitable retainers. Furthermore, any of these retainers may be enhanced or even replaced by the fixing of the insert into the hanger body by a sufficiently strong adhesive.

Claims

1. A hook for use in a hanger, the hook comprising:

a suspension portion for suspending the hook from a rail or the like, the suspension portion including a first connector; and

an insert portion for engaging a body of a hanger and having at least one retainer for fixing the insert to the hanger body, the insert portion comprising a second connector to engage said first connector and ensure connection between said suspension portion and said insert portion.

2. A hook according to claim 1, wherein said first and second connectors have rotational symmetry.

3. A hook according to claim 1, wherein said suspension portion and said insert portion comprises metal.

4. A hook according to claim 1, wherein said retainer comprises at least one barb.

5. A hook according to claim 1, wherein said retainer comprises at least one rib.

6. A hook according to claim 1, wherein said first and second connectors comprise a snap fit connection.

7. A hook according to claim 1, wherein said first connector comprises an at least partially conical end to said suspension portion said conical end having an outer edge, and

said second connector comprises an annular ridge extending radially inward of an inner surface of said insert portion wherein said annular ridge and said outer edge of said conical portion engage one another to retain said suspension portion and insert portion in engagement with one another.

8. A garment hanger comprising;

a hanger body for bearing a garment thereon; and

a hook according to any of the preceding claims.

9. A hanger according to claim 8, wherein said hanger body comprises wood.

10. A hanger according to claim 8, wherein said hanger body comprises at least one thermoplastic material.

11. A method of forming the garment hanger according to claim 8, comprising the steps:

inserting the insert portion into an aperture in said body; and inserting the suspension portion into said insert portion such that said first and second connectors engage one another thereby retaining said suspension portion in said insert portion.

12. A method of forming the garment hanger according to claim 8, comprising the steps, with said suspension portion and said insert portions engaged at said first and second connectors, inserting said hook into said hanger body.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising, prior to said inserting step, heating at least said insert portion.